As Craig Breedlove climbed aboard the Spirit of America Sonic 1 on Nov. 15, 1965, he must have wondered when the craziness was going to end. In 1963, Breedlove had set the top-speed record at 407.4 mph over a flying mile. Just two years later, Art Arfons reset the point to 576.6 mph–an incredible jump. The Sonic 1 had the same J79 jet engine used in the F104 Starfighter fighter plane and, not coincidentally, in Arfon’s Green Monster. On that day in November, however, Breedlove, who was the first to cross 400 and 500 mph on land, also became the first to cross 600 mph. He went 600.6 mph, establishing a record that would stand for five years.
1965 Spirit of Amercia Sonic 1
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